Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

April 8, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry, Tales for Kids of All Ages

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87 Comments

Butterfly Moment Haibun

A non-writing writer is a monster courting insanity.
— Franz Kafka

One of the hardest realizations after college was how ordinary my days had become. The same routine, seeing the same places, meeting the same people, day after day. Occasionally, would come a butterfly moment, when ordinary transformed into extraordinary, and my inner spark could shine.

root-bound foliage
spider plant babies waterfall
glow with health

write joyfully
creating thought collage
redolent with youth

Years later, I am locked into a similar repeating pattern, day after day, mostly domestic: cooking, cleaning, overseeing homework, laundry, ad infinitum. Writing keeps me sane, and permits the daily grind to be grist for a deeper calling. Because I must write, I find 15 minutes here and there to create. Continue reading →

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

April 7, 2014

Posted under

Holiday, Photography, Poetry

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24 Comments

Spirit Roams Haiku

nature fights fences
water breaks stone, mountains fall
free spirits roam

Inspired by the Carpe Diem Haiku Kai #441, ghost-written by Managua Gunn,
in honor of International Romany Day, April 8, a holiday of which I was previously unaware.
Follow the link if you want to hear more about the Roma or the holiday.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

April 7, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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64 Comments

A Walk to the Lake Haibun

Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.
– Thích Nhất Hạnh

I walked today, despite my recent recovery from norovirus and a week of not eating properly. I started off slowly, stretching sluggish muscles. My feet curved into the familiar rhythm, welcoming the soft, spongy aqueduct pathways. I headed for the lake side, wanting sunlight glinting strongly into my eyes after a winter of weak, gray light. I passed many gardens, my eyes yearning for color, a contrast to brown and gray.

seed pods straining, listening for the song of the wind

The wind did not disappoint, but sang of ocean waves. Seabirds called distantly, crows nearer. Robins quarreled over grasses. A cardinal flashed by, a scarlet blur. The air warmed to the sixties and finally snow seems truly gone. Was it icy only a few weeks ago? The sunlight made me feel alive, inside and out, and I turned upward, smile opening wide. Neither did the gardens disappoint, providing color in miniature.

Yellow Spring Crocuses

saffron crocus
sunlight reincarnated
honey sweet scent

The yellow crocuses stopped me cold, so startled to see gold strewn on the ground, riches to my starved eyes. Most plants were still dormant, buds still tightly furled. Only the crocuses had thrown open the treasure box, spilling nature’s jewels. Words seem pitiful in comparison.

tiny crocus trio
blossoms dancing on breezes
music to my soul

Dovetailed deliciously with the Ligo Haibun Challenge, Quote Week.
Also includes a new form of poem, a monoku, that I cannot tell apart from the American Sentence Haiku.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

April 2, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry, Tales for Kids of All Ages

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4 Comments

Still Life with Lichen

lost pinecone beds down on pine needles, ignored by lichen and moss

Note: This is an American Sentence Haiku.
To see my others, they are: Silent Bathhouse and Trumpets Sounding.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

March 29, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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24 Comments

The Path toward Spring: Haiku Kai

past barren trees
path leads toward evergreens,
spring in infancy

earth still hard from winter’s cold
pine needles soften, endure

tender green shoots
entwined with fall memories
struggle toward sunshine

dream of golden summer warmth
tiger lily hearts leaping

Note: These two tanka are inspired by the Carpe Diem Haiku Kai,
and I dedicate them to Kristjaan, on the birth of his new grandchild.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

March 26, 2014

Posted under

Poetry

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39 Comments

Birthday Parties

Too much of a good thing can be wonderful.
– Mae West

We’ve had big parties, and we’ve had small. We’ve had tea parties, tumbling, laser tag, jungle gyms, hikes, fairies, butterflies, sleepovers and even a party bus that pulled up out front. One thing I’ve learned from having parties for my kids: they all make me smile, and are moments to remember.

Candles on cupcakes,
Lungs filled with air,
Wishes outnumber
Cares, on kids’ birthdays.

As the number of kids we have increases, and the number of kids’ birthdays celebrated has passed twenty, I look back with most appreciation on the smaller parties. The greater intimacy allows for capturing more of that reflected joy, bottled forever in my memory. (And fewer numbers of presents to find places for.)

For me, March is the month of spring and birthdays (two of my kids and my dad).

packages wrapped
explosions of colorful paper
expressions of love

Inspired by the Ligo Haibun Challenge (Quote week) and Paint the World with Words (Naani poetry prompt). Thanks to the talented people volunteering their time to help motivate complete strangers to write.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

March 22, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

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16 Comments

Cone Jewels Haiku

eastern hemlock cones
seeds disbursed by cold winds
jewels worn in winter

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

March 22, 2014

Posted under

Poetry

Comments

48 Comments

Be Free Haibun

Golly, did I hear you say you would be free if you could?
— Gussy the Goose, Charlotte’s Web (2006)

Would you be free? What does that mean? Does it mean doing what you like, when you like, without regard to others? Don’t our families, our culture and our governments all impose restraints on us every day?

Definition of Freedom, n,
the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action.
Merriam-Webster

If being free means leaving my home behind, shirking my responsibilities, letting others carry my burdens, then I don’t think I would be free.

home and hearth
heart beats for my family
magic ties that bind

Others talk about freedom in the governmental sense, freedom from tyranny, enslavement, unjust punishments, torture, abuse, theft and many countless other miseries. We all give up certain rights to our governments, and we want some return on that investment. If we give up so many rights and a percentage of our income, then we should get some benefits: safety, security, peace, prosperity and freedom from abuses, these are some basics people want.

freedom from tyranny
safe homes in an unspoiled land
sunshine and clean water

That is a freedom I want for everyone: to have clean water, a safe home, healthy nature nearby, no one afraid to be killed for speaking one’s thoughts. I want a world like that for my children and their children. For you and your children, too. If we all have respect for each other, perhaps we can manage that.

healthy air to breathe
nature’s abundance for all
garden in sunshine

Inspired by Haibun Thinking Week #9, a film quote and photo from AnElephantCant.

References: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freedom

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

March 17, 2014

Posted under

Poetry, Tales for Kids of All Ages

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28 Comments

Movie Colors Haibun

Used by permission of Managua Gunn, via the Ligo Haibun Challenge.

I watch a movie, leaving my own issues behind. I give myself up to the color, the drama, the swirling action. In it, two women fly through the air, fighting bad guys with samurai swords, disdaining the laws of physics, aerodynamics and time itself, as a year’s events seem to take place in one day. I am exhilarated, lifted along on fantasy, imagining all my problems dealt with by a few swings of a sword and a graceful leap or two. I won’t even need to brush my hair, it will stay perfectly tidy through all of my life’s conflicts. The movie ends with a resolution of sorts. I return to my life with a crash.

She is an actress on a zip line, lifted through the air by elaborate structures, designed by engineers. I have no such assistance through my life’s adventures. I rely on tissues, Wet Ones, spare clothing for the kids and fast talking to solve most of my issues. I can’t slay people who hurt my kids, hit my van or leave dog poop on my lawn. Usually life doesn’t even present me with a “good guy” or a “bad guy,” just fallible people who may or may not have achieved their potential for good that day.

on good days
my boys finger-shoot the bad guys
through the van windows

I admire the beauty in the movies, but feel sad that it is transient, and yet, somehow we expect our lives to freeze at those years when we achieve our best appearances. If only we could look as though we were 30 forever. Here I am, nearly 20 years later, left contemplating actresses at their height of beauty, and feeling glad to have my eyes treated to such pleasure. I am surprised, again, when I look at myself in the mirror. Oh, that’s right, I’m not 30 anymore.

fantasy lifts
imagination carries us high
reality sets us down

I adore the fantasy, the color, the movement, the story that has a beginning, an exciting middle and an end. All the boring days of aching feet, cleaning up messes or healing broken arms is edited out. What if I told my life’s story like that, took out all the boring days, the broken bones, the accidents and the wrinkles? Would I lose myself in those tossed away bits?

broken branch falls
spring buds will never open
seeds disburse on the wind

Inspired by the Ligo Haibun Challenge in its new location, and on its new day, Monday, with the above picture prompt. Thanks to Ese and Pirate for continuing.

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

March 17, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

Comments

24 Comments

Winter Blows a Kiss Haiku

bare branches yearn
silver birch buds tightly furled
winter sun teases

Posted by

Brenda Davis Harsham

Posted on

March 11, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry, Tales for Kids of All Ages

Comments

38 Comments

Centered Haibun

Centered, definition: adj., emotionally healthy and calm; emotionally stable and secure.

I learned to pray as a small child by placing my hands flat together, closing my eyes and bowing my head. That ritual helped me focus, set aside distractions and center myself. In yoga, I took quickly to prayer pose, which also uses hands placed together, head bowed and attention focused.

In prayer pose, I hear my breathing, like the waves of the ocean, calming me. I observe the movement of my rib cage, expanding, contracting, and I consciously deepen my breathing, holding it after taking a breath in, for a few seconds of stillness. I learned to focus my intention for that class: to set aside worries, to lay down burdens, and to think only of the needs of my body for those moments.

prayer pose
thoughts echo and grow still
breathe out worries

I haven’t been to a yoga class in years, but I had inspiring teachers, who were generous enough to help me design a home practice. I still practice yoga, and I am so grateful for it.

Prayer pose lets me feel close to the divine, for in the stillness and focusing of my mind I achieve calm. I hear the voice of the universe only in quiet moments, external and internal quiet.

tree pose
branches lifted to the sky
blessed by rain

Linking to Haibun Thinking Week 8: Freestyle Week. A Haibun is prose, culminating in a haiku, often written of a moment along life’s journey.

Reference: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/centered.